Dr. Rafik Goubran
Vice-President (Research and International),
Carleton University
Through key partnerships, Carleton is accelerating research in areas including accessibility and aging in place to help Canadians live better — and longer.
Canada has an aging, diverse, and growing population with complex needs. Researchers at Carleton University believe that finding solutions to meet these needs and help Canadians live long, healthy lives require new ways of thinking and doing.
Through vital partnerships with industry, government, and international groups, Carleton is advancing global research and providing students with job-ready learning opportunities. Through these partnerships, Carleton helps fill research gaps for other organizations while the institution benefits from resources, funding, industry feedback, and real-world experience for students.
These partnerships are generating many exciting programs and projects, including the Carleton University AGE-WELL SAM3 National Innovation Hub. In collaboration with the Bruyère Health Research Institute and AGE-WELL, the university is developing smart home solutions to help older adults age in place safely and with dignity.
Collaboration with industry, academic partners, and community
members
SAM3 stands for Sensors and Analytics for Monitoring Mobility and Memory. The program’s research and innovation projects focus on using technology to help seniors maintain a healthy and independent lifestyle. These solutions are created along with industry, clinical, and academic partners, as well as older adults and their families.
The proposed solution involves a system of sensors to assess various aspects of the daily lives of older adults. The solution uses sensors as simple as motion sensors and as complex as video cameras. The data are analyzed using artificial intelligence to assess health and well-being in real time. Assessments can include vital signs, sleep quality, cooking a meal, and driving behaviours. Older adults, their care partners, and clinicians can use this information to support safe and healthy aging in place.
Enhancing research possibilities
Dr. Rafik Goubran, Vice-President (Research and International) at Carleton University, says that programs like this, and the innovations they will create, will lead to real change.
“Carleton University is seeing continued growth in partnerships and funding in critical areas for improving the lives of Canadians,” he says. “Our innovative partnerships in health technology — including accessibility, aging in place, and nursing simulations — are training future generations while enhancing research and development capabilities for partners across various sectors.”
At the university’s Abilities Living Laboratory, Carleton faculty, students, and community collaborators design, prototype, and test solutions that enhance mobility for people with disabilities and support full inclusion in public and cultural life. Patients, health care professionals, and other researchers visit the lab to help researchers refine their work.
One piece of equipment at the lab is a three-foot-tall rehabilitation robot made by Carleton spin-off company GaitTronics. It can mirror the movements of a patient recovering from a stroke and its sensors record the electrical activity of their muscles. This information is then fed into an AI model, which helps the robot learn about the patient’s motion patterns, evaluate their progress, and train the machine to better support their recovery.
Training students for today’s workforce
Carleton is also preparing students for today’s workforce. Its new nursing program, in partnership with Ottawa’s Queensway Carleton Hospital, will open in September 2025. Students will learn using simulations with manikins that speak, bleed, sweat, and cry. The program is designed to send graduates into the workforce swiftly to help address nursing shortages and includes early and frequent clinical placements, starting in the first semester of the first year. This will help students connect classroom learning to real-world clinical work with patients.
Through innovative collaboration, cutting-edge research, and hands-on learning, Carleton University is helping to shape the future of health technology. As the university continues to innovate, its work will help improve lives and prepare the next generation of professionals to tackle pressing health challenges.
To see Carleton’s latest research developments, visit research.carleton.ca.
